Program Information The City of Long Beach, with a population of approximately 495,000, covers 52 square miles in southwest Los Angeles County and is the sixth largest city in the State of California. Long Beach is strategically located in the Southern California basin and is less than a 30 minute drive to Los Angeles and Orange County business centers. Long Beach has some of the best shoreline, marinas and beaches in Southern California, and a superb climate with 345 days of sunshine per year moderated by pleasant ocean breezes. The City of Long Beach is well-known as the home of the Queen Mary, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, the Long Beach Grand Prix, the Port of Long Beach (named the nation\u2019s second busiest sea port), one of the world\u2019s most environmentally safe off-shore oil operations, an award winning transit agency and numerous major commercial enterprises.